Cleaning installation



A F. MALSBAR+ mL 2,355,882-

CLEANING INSTALLATION Filed March 23, "1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 xmlll J08 F. MALSBARY. WALTER m TAYLOR.

A TTOPNEK 1 1944- J. F. MAL'SBARY' E 2,355,882

CLEANI NG INSTALLATION Filed March 23, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS', JOB F. MALSBARY. WALTER M. 7Z4YLOR.

A T TORNE).

Patented Aug. 15, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Job F. Malsbary and Walter W. Taylor, Oakland, Calif., assignors to Malsbary Manufacturing Company, Oakland, Calif., a copartnership ApplicationMarch 2.3, 1943, Serial No. 480,178

9' Claims. (of. 299-s3) The present invention relates toimprovements in a cleaning installation for washing motor vehicles or the like by means of a hot cleaning solution discharged from a nozzle under pressure, and has particular reference to an installation in which the cleaning solution is pumped through a conduit under high pressure toward a discharge nozzle having a relatively small discharge orifice, and in which the solution is heated by the injection of steam under pressure int the conduit. r

The principal object of our invention is to provide a multiple cleaning installation of the type referred to in which a plurality of cleaning stations are provided, all ofwhich are fed by a common pump and draw on a common source of steam.

More particularly we propose to provide a cleaning installation of the character described in which the operator at each station has, control over his own unit, independent of the other units, and in which the discharge of each unit, once adjusted, remains the same regardless of the operation of the other units.

It is further proposed to provide an installatio of this type in which each station receives a forceful, smooth and free from pulsations and sputtering, which is comparatively easy to operate, and avoids unnecessary fatigue such as is occasioned by a jerky discharge nozzle.

It is further proposed, particularly in a preferred form of the invention, to provide simple control means ateach station whereby theprincipal control elements are furnished by the-manufacturer in the form of fixedorifices, the size of which is predetermined by the manufacturer on the basis of pressures available and results desired, while only one variable is left to the control of the operator. 7

And finally, it is proposed to provide an installation of the character described of such uniform working characteristics, that once the variable is adjusted by the operator at each station, the discharge at each station remains the same regardless of operation or non-operation of additional stations, and operations from then on may be started and stopped by themere full opening and closing of a pair of ordinary shut-01f valves controlling the steam and liquid supplies.

In a system of this type, the individual cleaning stations may be arranged onthesame level with the steam generating plant and the pump,

uniform flow of cleaning solution,

or they may be located at higher elevation to suit different elevation to suit conditions.

conditions and depending upon pressures available.

Further objects and advantages of our invention will appear as the specification proceeds, and the novel features of our improvements will be fully defined in the claims attached hereto.

The preferred form of our invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming part of this application, in which:

, Figure 1 represents a schematic view of the entire. installation;

Figure 2, a schematic detail view of the operating parts of the invention;

Figure 3, an enlarged detail view, partly in section, of the valve arrangement at each station; and

Figure 4, an enlarged sectional view of a nozzle used in our installation.

While we have shown only the preferred form of our invention, we wish to have it understood that various changes or modifications of the improvements may be made within the scope of the claims hereto attached, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the general arrangement is illustrated in Figure 1, which shows a raised wash rack l adapted to accommodate a plurality of motor cars or the like 2, and provided with suitable ramps 3 on which the vehicles may ascend and descend.

A plurality of cleaning stations are indicated at 4.. A steam generator plant 5 is shown as being disposed at a remote point and as having a pipe line 6 paralleling the rack I, and a pumping plant 1 is located at a remote point and furnished with a main pipe line 8, also paralleling the rack and the steam line in convenient proximity thereto,

It should be remembered, of course, that the steam generating plant and the pumping plant may be located in close proximity to one another, and in the same room, and that the wash rack may be disposed either at the same level or at a It is perfectly feasible, for instance, to place the pumping plant and the steam plant in the basement of a building, and the rack in one of the upper stories thereof.

The word paralleling is not to be taken in a literal sense as calling for actual parallel ar rangement of the main lines and the rack, but only in the sense that they run from the source to their respective stations for convenient tapping at the branch lines leading to the stations.

The steam generating plant may consist of a conventional boiler 9 equipped with the conventional accessories such as the burner ID, the water glass H, the stack |2, the gauge l3, the safety valve l4 and the steam dome |5 to which the steam line 6 is attached. Steam boilers of this type are conventionally arranged to maintain a desired pressure in the main line within narrow limits, such as 60-70, 70-80, 80-90, or 90-100 pounds, and for the purposes of this invention, it will be assumed that the boiler maintains a substantially constant pressure in the main line.

At each station the main line is provided with a branch line l6 which terminates in a nozzle |1 projecting into a mixing chamber I8 and ,provided, at its end, with a removable and replaceable orifice member IS. A plurality of orifice members of different port areas are available and may be used interchangeably, the correct size of orifice being determined by the manufacturer or installer on calculations based on the general characteristics of the entire installation.

It should be understood, that instead of a fixed orifice a metering valve might be used somewhere in the branch line, leaving it to the operator to effect the proper setting. This method, however, according to our experience, is not as satisfactory as the use of a properly selected fixed orifice, since a valve when lopened slightly is subject to quick deterioration of the valve seat and for the further reason that in view of desired accuracy in amount of steam delivered, it is not expedient to leavethe adjustment to an inexperienced operator.

The mixing chamber l8 which is preferably elongated and which surrounds the nozzle, terminates in a conduit I8 which is preferably alined with the nozzle, and the conduit I8 is connected to a flexible hose terminating in a discharge nozzle 2| which may be conveniently operated by means of a rigid insulated handle section 2| in a manner well-known in the art.

The nozzle 2| is of the expanding type and includes a removable and replaceable orifice member 22, an outwardly tapering expansion chamber 23 and a cylindrical outlet conduit 24. This nozzle is particularly designed to handle a body of liquid injected through the orifice at high temperatures and under sufficient pressure to prevent vaporization of any part of the liquid prior to its passage through the orifice. length and taper of the expansion chamber are so proportioned as to reduce the pressure to zero at the end of the chamber. This allows a portion of the liquid to be converted into steam which discharges the liquid from the nozzle at a greatly increased velocity.

The straight conduit at the end of the nozzle tends to prevent spreading of the liquid and causes the latter to issue from the nozzle in a compact stream which retains its form through a considerable distance. The details of this nozzle have been described with greater particularity in our Patent No. 2,295,228.

The orifice member 22 is replaceable and a number of orifices of different sizes are provided by the manufacturer. The proper size for a given installation is selected by the manufacturer to bear relation to the size of the orifice member l9 and the general working characteristics of the entire installation, so that neither of the orifice members I9 and 22 require any further attention on the part of the operator, although they may be changedby an expert if it is desired to change the characteristics of the installation.

The-

The branch pipe I 6 is provided, ahead of the nozzle H, with an ordinary shut-off valve 25, which is closed when the station is not operating and which is fully opened for use of the station, and also with a check valve 26 which prevents liquid from the other branch 60 presently to be described from entering the steam line and the boiler, in case the outlet nozzle 2| becomes clogged for some reason.

The pumping plant is designed to deliver a liquid cleaning solution to the main pipe line 8 at constant pressure considerably in excess of the steam pressure in the main line 6. In its preferred form it comprises a tank 30 for hold- 15 ing a concentrated cleaning solution, a water tank 3|, a pump 32, preferably of the double acting type, and a by-pass circuit 33.

The two tanks receive their water from a pipe 1 34, through valves and 36, and the level is 20 controlled in the tanks through floats 31 and 38.

The water tank has a discharge pipe 39 provided with a check valve 40, and the solution tank has a discharge pipe 4| provided with a check valve 42 and a dial control valve 42', the two discharge 25 pipes joining at 43 into one conduit 44 feeding the pump 32. The latter, being double acting,

has two chambers 45 and 46 and a piston 47, and

the chambers draw on conduit 44, which is split into two branches 48--49, through two intake 30 valves 50 and 5|.

The two outlet pipes 52 and 53 of the pump are provided with delivery valves 54 and 55 and join at 56 for discharge into the pipe line 8, through a pressure control valve 51 which by-passes an excess amount of liquid through the bypass 33 and special intake valves 5'! back to the chambers 45 and 46 respectively.

The pump is intended to have a capacity in excess of that required to maintain constant pressure in the main line under all working conditions. If, for instance, it is desired to maintain a constant pressure of 200 pounds in the main line, the pump might have a capacity of pumping at 300 pounds pressure and the pressure control valve will by-pass enough excess liquid to maintain the desired pressure in the main line, regardless of the number of stations in use at any particular time.

The main solution line has a number of branch lines 60, one for each station, and these branches discharge into the mixing chambers l8, through suitable volume control valves 6|. These valves are particularly designed to provide against clogging due to the possible presence of small solid matter in the cleaning solution. Each includes a fiat valve seat 62 and a movable valve member 63 having a flange 64 adapted to seat on the valve seat and a stem 65 extending through the hole in the seat so as to make a smooth riding fit.

The valve stem is provided With a V-shaped tapered longitudinal groove 66 beginning with zero depth and width underneath the flange and increasing in width and depth toward the end, so that the valve opening increases uniformly in depth and width as the valve member 63 is unseated, by means of a thread 61 or other suitable operating means. It will be noted that thus the valve opening in all positions of adjustment consists of a single unobstructed hole, which makes it relatively easy for small particles and other impurities to work through the same.

This valve is preferably set to produce a desired condition, by means of a pointer 68 running 9W1. a (111211 69 and is allowed to remain in that position. For turning on and oil the supply at each station, we provide a special ordinary shutoff valve corresponding to the shut-oil valve 25 the steam line. For observation purposes it is desirable to provide a pressure gauge H and a thermometer 12 in the conduit 18'.

In operation each operator located at a desig-. nated station and handling the nozzle 21 may readily adjust his own mixture, without going back and forth to the steam and pumping plants. Since both the orifices i9 and 22 are fixed, the only variable is the valve 6|, which, once set to. bring about a desired result, also preferably remains undisturbed. The pressure in the steam line and the pressure in the solution line remaining constant regardless of the demands made on them, it is apparent that the stream delivered at one station will remain unafiected by the opening and closing of valves at the other stations.

Where an installation of the character described is to be installed, steam usually is available already and the remaining factors have to be calculated with respect to the steam pressure available. Assuming that the steam pressure is sufficient to maintain a pressure of approximately 100 pounds at a temperature of 338 F. in the main steam line, the pump should have sufficient capacity to maintain a pressure of 200 pounds in the main solution line. Where a 4 /2 gallon per minute discharge is desired, the orifice member 22 should have an opening 3% inch diameter, and the steam orifice IS a diameter of {'s inch.

For a most desirable stream of cleaning spray, sufiicient pressure should be maintained in the chamber IE to prevent boiling and vaporization of the liquid solution at the temperature selected. If, for instance, the temperature of the liquid is held at 300-315 F., the pressure should be about 70 pounds in order to maintain the solution in liquid form.

While such an adjustment would create the best spray for all around purposes, it is apparent that the character of the spray may be changed to cover a Wide range. If the valve 6| were closed altogether, steam only would issue from the nozzle 2 I. If the valve were opened far enough to make the pressure in the chamber l8 exceed 100 pounds, which is the steam pressure, the solution would back into the steam line, up to the check valve 26 and there would be little heating effect on the liquid issuing from nozzle 2|.

If it is desired to create a condition where part of the liquid is made to turn into vapor within the pipe l8, it is only necessary to reduce the opening of valve 6| to the point where the pressure created in the chamber [8 is insufficient to keep the liquid from boiling at the temperature prevailing in the chamber.

We claim:

1. In a cleaning installation of the character described, a plurality of cleaning stations, a plant for generating steam, a. pump for pumping a cleaning solution, means for conducting the steam and the solution in separate paths to the several cleaning stations, a mixing chamber at each station, means including an orifice of fixed size for discharging the steam into the mixing chamber, means including an adjustable valve for discharging the solution into the mixing chamber and an outlet conduit connected to the chamber and having a discharge orifice of fixed size.

2. In a cleaning installation of the character described, a plurality of cleaning stations, a plant for generating steam, a pump for pumping a cleaning solution, means for conducting the steam and the solution in separate paths to the several cleaning stations, a mixing chamber at each station, means including an orifice of fixed size for discharging the steam into the mixing chamber, means including an adjustable valve for discharging the solution into the mixing chamber and an outlet conduit connectedto the chamber and having a discharge orifice of fixed size, the steam admitting orifice being of larger size than the discharge orifice.

3. In a cleaning installation of the character described, a plurality of cleaning stations, a plant for generating steam, a pump for pumping a cleanin solution, means for conducting the steam and the solution in separate paths to the several cleaning stations, a mixing chamber at each station, means including an orifice of fixed size for discharging the steam into the mixing chamber, means including an adjustable valve for discharging the solution into the mixing chamber and an outlet conduit connected to the chamber and having a discharge orifice offixed size, the pump feeding the solution toward the mixing chamber under a pressure in excessof the steam pressure.

4. In a cleaning installation of the character described, a plurality of cleaning stations, a plant for generating steam, a pump for pumping a cleaning solution, means for conducting the steam and the solution in separate paths to the several cleaning stations, a mixing chamber at each station, means including an orifice of fixed size for discharging the steam into the mixing chamber, means including an adjustable valve for discharging the solution into the mixing chamber and an outlet conduit connected to the chamber and having a discharge orifice of fixed size, the pump feeding the solution toward the mixing chamber under pressure in excess of the steam pressure and the steam admitting orifice being of larger size than the nozzle orifice.

5. In a cleaning installation of the character described, a plurality of cleaning stations, a plant for generating steam, a pump for pumping a cleaning solution, means for conducting the steam and the solution in separate paths to the several cleaning stations, control means for maintainin the steam and the solution under constant pressures regardless of demand made thereon within the capacity of the installation with the solution pressure being approximately twice that of the steam pressure, a mixing chamber at each station, means including a restricted orifice for injecting the steam into the mixing chamber, means including an adjustable valve for injecting the solution into the mixing chamber, and an outlet conduit for the mixing chamber having a discharge orifice.

6. In a cleaning installation of the character described, a plurality of cleaning stations, a plant for generating steam, a pump for pumping a cleaning solution, means for conducting the steam and the solution in separate paths to the several cleaning stations, control means for maintaining the steam and the solution under constant pressures regardless of demand made thereon within the capacity of the installation with the solution pressure being approximately twice that of the steam pressure, a mixing chamber at each station, means including a restricted orifice for injecting the steam into the mixing chamber, means including an adjustable valve for injecting the solution into the mixing chamber, and an outlet conduit for the mixing chamber having a discharge orifice, the latter orifice being proportioned with respect to the steam orifice and the valve to render the latter operable for maintaining sufficient pressure in the outlet conduit for keeping the solution in liquid form at relative high temperatures above the normal boiling point.

7. In a cleaning installation of the character described, a plurality of cleaning stations, a plant for generating steam, a pump for pumping a cleaning solution, means for conducting the steam and the solution in separate paths to the several cleaning stations, controllable means at each station for mixing the steam and the solution whereby the steam is condensed and the solution raised to a high temperature and a discharge conduit for the mixture and having a restricted orifice at the end thereof for maintaining a desired pressure in the said conduit.

' 8. In a cleaning installation of the character described, a plurality of cleaning stations, a plant for generating steam, a pump for pumping a cleaning solution, means for conducting the steam and the solution in separate paths to the several cleaning stations, a mixing chamber at each station, means including a restricted orifice for discharging the steam into the mixing chamber, means including an adjustable valve for discharging the solution into the mixing chamber, and an outlet conduit connected to the chamber and having a restricted discharge orifice.

9. In a cleaning installation of the character described, a plurality of cleaning stations, a plant for generating steam, a pump for pumping a cleaning solution, means for conducting the steam and the solution in separate paths to the several cleaning stations, a mixing chamber at each station, means including a restricted orifice for discharging the steam into the mixing chamber, and an outlet conduit connected to the chamber, means including an adjustable valve for discharging the solution into the mixing chamber, and an outlet conduit connected to the chamber and having a restricted discharge orifice, the steam-admitting orifice being of larger size than the outlet orifice.

JOB F. MALSBARY. WALTER W. TAYLOR. 

